"Link, here it is," Saria said, holding out the sword to show him. "Now, we must find her! Let me ask the trees."

Saria ran to the trees surrounding the area. Her magic glowed around her body, and the trees seemed to almost move as she stared up at them.

"Link! The trees say she was in Hyrule Field, but she has now gone somewhere where there are no trees!"

He nodded. "Right, I'll go look."

"I'll keep an eye on everywhere else."

Link waved and ran to the forest entrance. Epona was still waiting around there. "Good girl," he said as he mounted. "Now, let's go! Places without trees. It could Gerudo Valley…or…well, I really hope she's not by Hyrule Castle Town."

He went on to Gerudo Valley, sure she was not around Lake Hylia, since there were so many trees there.

He cantered into Gerudo Valley and crossed the split log serving as a bridge across the shallow water running below it. He came to the main part of the valley, using Epona to easily jump across the broken bridge. He led her into a gallop, and then she gathered her stride to make a long leap.

"Good girl," he praised. He cantered past the carpenters, or, the boss anyway. But then he thought, what if she had wondered into the Gerudo's Fortress and gotten caught? What would they do to her? He would have to persuade them into telling him if she was there. But how? And then he got an idea. He trotted quietly to the stairs leading up to their fortress. He dismounted, and sneaked up the stairs. The Gerudo both had their backs turned, so he waited at the top of the stairs. Then one turned.

"Freeze!" she commanded, running to him and putting her scimitar against his neck. "You think just because you're a man you can sneak past us? Ha!"

"Wait, I have a bargain to make."

"We have no need for anything. You should have thought about that before you came in here."

"Not for my own safety, but to ensure the safety of another."

"Another? We have no others here, except us Gerudos!" she lied, thinking of the carpenters.

"No, I need to know if there is a girl here. Not a Gerudo girl, though."

"Why would we tell you if there was?"

"I told you, I'll bargain for it. I give up my own freedom. In exchange to know if she's here." Though he was not sure if this would work. If his plan were to succeed, they would have to take him to the jail. He knew they would take him because he had been captured once before while wondering aimlessly.

"I told you there is no one here." He wasn't sure if he believed them. "OK, I held up my end of the bargain, now it's your turn. Get moving!" Another Gerudo came behind him and prodded him in the back with a sharp blade. He stumbled forward. They laughed at his mishap.

They led him through the fort, and he saw familiar rooms so he relaxed, knowing they were going to take him to the jail. These were obviously either very strong fighters, or very foolish ones because they had not even bothered to take away his weapons. If he wanted, he could have run away, or taken them on, but it was easier to go this way. They dropped him into the hole in the floor (or ceiling, depending upon which way one looks at it).

Instead of falling and hurting himself like he normally did, he jumped in before they could push him and landed in a crouched position. The Gerudo became suspicious as to why he sold his freedom and jumped in so willingly, ("All for a girl? Ha! Men aren't like that!" one of the Gerudo had said.) But their suspicions quickly passed. They yelled in at him, "Stay in there, you scum! The only man who can survive around here is the great Ganondorf!"

He winced at the title; whenever someone called Ganondorf 'great,' he always became angry.

"No time to waste." He took out his longshot and aimed it at the wood shade above the window, high up. Once he was up in the window, he took a deep breath and jumped. Not on to the ground, but on one of the many levels of the fortress just to the left. He waited and watched until the guards on the bottom had all turned so they couldn't see him, then jumped and ran back to Epona. He quickly mounted and galloped away.

"So she's not there. I hope…" If he couldn't find her elsewhere, he would go back and do a more thorough investigation. He jumped over the broken bridge, and then cantered out of the valley and desert.

"Next…Hyrule Castle Town…or what's left of it. I don't think she would go there…" he told Epona, speaking in Hylian. "Not my favorite place to go." Every time he went there, he could feel the evil not to far away, and seeing the town, torn up and deserted the way it was, made him angry.

"She could have gotten into a lot of trouble by now…" Navi warned.

"I know. That's why I'm worried." Now, not only was she in danger, but the Water Sage wasn't saving itself. He had been out of the temple for a while, and he feared that the monsters would take it over again, by now.

He pushed Epona into a gallop, making her whinny. "Sorry, we need to hurry." As though she understood, Epona went faster without any more complaints. "Whoa! Not that fast!" But it was very rare that either of them got to go fast, so they stayed like that. He was almost enjoying himself…when he remembered…this was business. Strange.

Soon they arrived at the town. Epona slowed down near it, and became very afraid. She backed up, rolling her eyes.

"Whoa! Epona, it's all right." The sudden darkness had scared her. He dismounted carefully and stood in front of the horse to comfort her. She relaxed at his touch. "All right, you can leave now. Just come back when I call you. It shouldn't take long." He faced her towards the open field and gave her a slight nudge where her front leg met her body. She ran off, happy to get away. Link ran inside the Town.

As soon as he reached the main part of the town, he got that evil feeling emanating from each of the redeads. He had no time to bother with them, nor their piercing screams. He ran past them. He no longer feared them. Under normal circumstances, Link would have left, seeing that Meghan wasn't there, but he had this strange feeling.

"She's here. I just know it," he told Navi. He ran to the first place he thought of, the Temple of Time.

Meghan had been having a fitful rest. Her sleep was interrupted with dreams of death and despair…perhaps the influence of being so close to such a great evil.

The first dream she remembered was of a dark blade, meeting one that shone with light. Something was there…

The second was a girl crying. She couldn't see the face because when she walked up to it the dream changed…

The third was golden lights shining from a fountain, almost taking the forms of humans. They were talking to a white light.

"I am sorry for the trouble caused…let it be known that the gods will never quarrel with each other again."

"Yes, Human God. I, Nayru pledge to that."

"As do I, Din."

"And I, Farore."

"I will take back the trouble caused for you…the girl…"

"I do not believe she caused any trouble. If we send her back, she will believe this only a dream, and perhaps that is best. Surely our hero shall be confused, though. What do you believe to be the best course of action?"

"It was foolish of me to send her to your world. I know her mind well and know that she would not hurt anyone. Her soul was calling to me when I was pompously angered your offer for help, and sending her was the first thing I thought I could do. I no longer hear her calling, but I know she despaired about my world. Your world is pure and had great heroes, while mine has none. Let her stay in a world that is to be saved. Perhaps she can return when my world has acquired heroes."

"Do not lose heart, Human God, it was foolish on all our parts. She will be happy here, I assure you. Let the mixture be diversification…a constant reminder of our united worlds."

"Yes, she will be happier here."

"Then the girl shall stay. Farore, goddess that knows mortal life better than any of us, what say you?"

"She does not want to stay. Right now, she is scared. She would feel better if she returned to her own world. However, if she returns, she will continue to call for help. Here, her calls will cease. Here, she will find peace. Unfortunately, unless we tamper with her memories, this experience will only cause chaos."

"Fine. I shall allow her to stay, providing she does not show you or your inhabitants any trouble. Then, she must leave. Thank you, Goddesses of Hyrule, Nayru, Din, and Farore…"

She did not understand any of this, except a part spoken by a male voice…deep, assuring. Everything else was a different language. But, the dream resumed to horror…

Sheik awoke quite suddenly.

"The gods! They had a fight! How could they? They let a human here!" she whispered, still in her disguise. Her voice was a bit deeper, her hair shorter and her eyes red, but she still had the occasional prophecy. Usually, she could tell if she was foreseeing good or bad events…but this one came unclear. She had to find this human…it could not stay around here, either way. Humans…they had a bad reputation. She stealthily left her camp, not waking Impa.

"I'll be back," she whispered before disappearing.

Link ran up the steps leading the Temple of Time. He slowly pushed the heavy front doors, his rushed attitude turning solemn.

As soon as he entered, he found her laid gently across the platform in front of him. She was still, but as he drew nearer, he could see her shaking. He kneeled beside her. Tears flowed unconsciously from her eyes, and her head glistened from sweat. Her eyes squeezed tight then relaxed every few seconds. She was lying on her side, her head propped on her arm, which was extended outward.

He gently touched her. Her arm was cold. He had to wake her, to get her to some warmth. She shuddered at his touch. He gently shook her. She stopped shuddering.

He shook her again. She was still for a second. Then her eyes slowly opened. Taking into focus what was before her, she shot up into a sitting position. Before he could react, she started to cry. She was once again shivering, on and off. He didn't know what to do; she was just crying…helplessly he tried to comfort her awkwardly.

"It's all right," he said, in Hylian, feeling awkward, having no idea how to comfort her. But the strange language made her even more upset and she sobbed even harder.

"I don't know what you're saying…I don't want to be here…bring me back home…"

"I…don't know how…I'm sorry…but we'll find out how." She coughed. "I will! But for now…you look sick." Her face seemed pale and she was covered with goose bumps. "Maybe you should come with me."

"I can't. I have to go see if I can get back the way I came." She wanted to stand, pushing away from him.

"No, you're shivering." He could still see some resistance in her. "Come on, I can't leave you here."

"OK," she said warily.

"Put this on." He just happened to have a tunic with him, something that looked comfortingly warm. She put it on. It smelled lovely, and was made of a nice, thick material. Even though it looked short-sleeved on him, the sleeves came down almost to her forearms, and it sagged baggily down her body, all the way to her knees. He pulled her up, so that they both stood in the center of the platform.

"Thanks." She felt sick while standing, and became dizzy as she stepped away from him. She stumbled a bit, walking awkwardly while trying to hide it. She unconsciously put her hand to her head.

"Meghan…are you all right?" he asked, calling her by her name for the first time. His voice was mid range, a tenor, neither very deep nor high pitched.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I think…oh, my head…" she put both of her hands to her head. She stopped walking.

"You don't look fine." He walked to her. "Let me help you."

"No, I'm fine. I can…" She took another unbalanced step. He took her arm and put it around his shoulder. He felt the iciness of her arm on his neck. He needed to get her to the forest. Saria could help her. She swayed and leaned on to him, losing her balance. He assisted her as they walked out into the night.

"Meghan, when we go into the town, don't be scared of the redeads. They're not real. We can't stop now."

"I'll try," she said halfheartedly, the dizziness getting to her.

"All right. Here we go." They went down the stairs, into the town. Meghan saw the redeads. "Can you walk faster?"

"I'll try…" He picked up his speed. Meghan did too, but not by much. And then…

"EEEEAAACCKKK!" a close-by redead screamed. Meghan froze. She pushed herself, but when she tried to move, her head felt like it had split open. The redead was close. Link, still afraid that the redead was an inhabitant of the old Hyrule Castle Town, hesitated to harm it. He grabbed Meghan, picking her up from the ground. Her still muscles became supple as she turned horizontal in his arms, and he ran out of the redead's vicinity. She protested, repeatedly telling him to put her down. He finally let her down when she was out of the Redead's grasp. She was embarrassed that he'd felt how heavy she was. He'd touched her body, her chubby waist…she gently pushed away from him and walked independently.

They walked to the collapsed bridge. He jumped over first. He extended his hand out to her. "Take my hand." She did, starting to feel like these people had to concept of personal space. She jumped lightly over, mostly held by his strong arm. She reached the other side and was balanced by him.

He looked up for a second, seeing a flash of something atop the tall wall surrounding the town. Could it be? No, it can't…

He took out his ocarina, calling his faithful horse to his side. He very gently helped Meghan to mount, and she relaxed as soon as she could sit still. He pulled himself up with her, making her uncomfortable. Again. "You're not going to fall off back there, are you?"

"No!" she said, sure she wasn't that broken.

"All right, then. Epona…" he said, preparing to go fast when…

"Uh...Link...can you go slow? I...uh..."

"That bad?"

"Yeah. I think I might lose my cookies…my head hurts, I'm dizzy…the list goes on."

"That's all right. We'll be there soon anyway." He pushed Epona into a slow canter. Had she not warned him, he would have gone into a gallop, perhaps putting too much strain on both Epona and Meghan. Why was he so careless sometimes?

Meghan was pressed against the cold metal of Link's shield the entire way there. Despite what she'd assured him, she struggled to stay upright, trying not to lean forward on him. At one point, she remembered him reaching back to grab her arm, holding it against his waist.

He steered Epona on the quickest path back to the forest. As soon as they got there, Link dismounted and helped Meghan down, her face looking paler than before.

"Uhhh…" she groaned, feeling worse now that she had to stand again. Link once again pulled her arm around his shoulder and half carried her inside the forest. He took her to the area where his and Saria's house were located. Saria saw them from her doorway and ran outside to help.

"Link! What happened?"

"She's sick, and she needs to lie down."

"Take her into my house, hurry! Put her on my bed!" Link did as he was told.

"The poor girl! Link, hurry! Get me those blankets in the corner." He got two of the blankets. Saria felt Meghan's head. She put both the blankets on Meghan as she lay down. Meghan felt better now that she was lying down, but she was still freezing and her head still hurt a bit. She fell asleep in a short time. Saria stayed at her side, occasionally tucking the blanket in when she turned. Link also stayed. He sat there for a while. Finally Saria looked up.

"So, where did you find her?" she asked in Hylian.

"At the Temple of Time."

"No wonder she's so cold…do you know why she was there?"

"She was sleeping. I have no idea how she ended up there. She didn't look good from the moment I saw her…she was shivering and looked really uncomfortable. She didn't look good at all…"

"You did the right thing to bring her here."

"I had hoped so."

"Too bad you didn't find her earlier. Where did you look?"

"I went to Gerudo Valley first…I thought that was the place with the least trees. But she wasn't there."

They sat in silence for a while. Then Saria moved and put her hand on Meghan's head.

"At least she is warm now."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She has a fever now."

"A fever? But…"

"Don't worry, she's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Sages don't lie." She winked. "You know, you don't have to stay here. We'll be fine here."

"But I want to."

"No, it's all right. Go, I'm sure you have things to do."

He sighed. "I'll come back later."

"Bye!"

"Bye."

He left Saria, and went outside the forest. For a while, he thought he would go back to the Water Temple, to finish it off, that's all he had left to do. But he realized that he wasn't in the correct mindset to do that. He would surely mess up, and then where would Hyrule be? Better to have a procrastinating hero than a deceased one. No, he was too distracted with his thoughts. He unconsciously pulled out his ocarina while thinking and called Epona to his side. She came within seconds and he mounted, just realizing what he had done.

He let the reins relax, surprising Epona. She whinnied, as if asking what he was doing. "Epona, just go wherever. I'm lost right now. I cannot guide you." And so Epona went, galloping across the field. And he just sat, thinking things.

Who is this girl? What if she can't get home? And what if she does? What do I feel? Do I feel anything anymore? These days, I have to be so tough, and I have to be the savior of Hyrule, yet did I have a choice? But of course I want to help…I want to do everything I can. I don't think this was supposed to happen.

"Epona, stop. Whoa, girl." They were halfway across the field. She stopped, and he dismounted. "Don't ask me what I'm doing, I have no idea."

He pulled out the ocarina, thought for a second, and then played Zelda's Lullaby. The soft tune relaxed him for a bit, letting him think clearly.

"All right, now what do I do? Any suggestions, Epona?" Epona nickered and tossed her head to the sides. He put his arms on her, leaning against her. "That's all right. I think I got it now. I think I know what to do! I think…all right, we need to go back! It's getting light now." So, he mounted once again, and this time actually steered Epona. He brought her back to the forest.

"This time, I have no idea when I'll be back." He entered the forest, ocarina in hand. He entered Saria's house quietly.

"Back so soon? I thought you were going to come back later, not in half an hour!"

"Yeah, I know but I got this idea. If Zelda's Lullaby can help me, then why won't it work on Meghan?"

"Good idea! Let me play with you." Saria got her own ocarina. Link kneeled down near the bed and started playing the song. Saria came in, making the song a round. Then, the second time Saria played a relaxing harmony to it, making the song even more beautiful. They both stopped after about five repetitions of the song. Both of them felt relaxed, and when they looked at Meghan she no longer looked strained, but relaxed and having a good rest.

"Good. I'll be back…I promise."

"All right see you later."

"Oh, and Saria, I…have something for her at my house. Um, I'll…bring it…" He left for a few minutes, and then returned with a bundle of something.

"Yeah…I've got to go." He dumped it into Saria's hand. "Bye!" He hurriedly ran out the door. Saria opened it.

"Oh," she said, smiling when she looked inside. "All right, bye." Saria sat back down, finding something to read.

Sheik had been searching Hyrule. Cheating and using some of her magic, she tracked down the human. It was around…her old castle.

"What is the human doing there?" she asked herself. She teleported to the old town. She climbed up the wall separating the town from Hyrule Field, where the old drawbridge used to be. From her position, she saw two people coming from the Temple. She couldn't see who. She soon could tell one of them was Link…not surprising. But the other, she had never seen in her life. She noticed the ears. They looked like a Gerudo's ears…but the rest of the characteristics were completely different. Instead of bright, red hair and a long nose, she had dark hair and a round, short nose. This must be the human! Is this what they look like? Strange.

Now they were in the town. Then she heard it, a faint "EAAACCKKKK!" The girl froze, startling Link as he was running past them while helping her. He pulled her hand, but she wouldn't budge, so he lifted her from the ground. They ran closer to Sheik so she drew her weapons—twin elbow blades. The girl was lagging behind Link, and Sheik realized she was very weak. She could tell from the way she held herself, drooping and not standing straight and leaning mostly on him. She realized that this girl was in no condition to harm Hyrule, or attempt to. She didn't want to pick on a helpless girl, and Link would most likely defend her. She sheathed her weapons in her sheaths, which were camouflaged to match her outfit using magic. They passed under her. He helped the girl jump over the water. She stumbled on the other side. He looked up for a second. Sheik backed up, so Link seemed to not see her, and they walked away.

He called Epona, and they mounted. She said something to him, and he said something back. Then they went.

Sheik jumped down, landing in a crouched position. As soon as they were far, Sheik followed them. She could run quickly and quietly. She followed them all the way to the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Once she entered that area, she climbed the tree that Kaepora Gaebora once greeted Link, seven long years ago. She watched silently as they dismounted and entered the forest.

As soon as they entered the forest, Sheik jumped down quietly. She waited a few seconds to be sure they weren't coming back out. Then she stealthily ran inside. Once in the forest, she jumped on top of one of the houses. She watched as they went inside…Saria's house? Now Saria was aiding the human? She would have to keep a close eye on the girl…she was either very manipulative…or…harmless. A little while later, Link exited the house alone. He ran to the exit of the forest and disappeared. Sheik jumped down and followed. When she reached Hyrule field, he was already galloping away on Epona. She ran a bit behind him. He stopped about halfway through the field. She took a wide turn and hid behind the short stone wall in the middle of the field. He dismounted, looking very tired and confused. He hesitated for a moment and then took out the Ocarina of Time, then played her song, her lullaby.

He spoke to the horse gently, softly. Zelda could see that his steed was fond of him. He mounted her once again, and steered Epona back to the forest. She followed him once again. A minute later, she heard her song again. This time, it was two ocarinas. One with a rich, deep sound and one with a light, bouncy sound. Each was beautiful. They played as a round, then with harmony, and then stopped. Then Link exited, and went to his house. She backed up behind another house, where he couldn't see her. She heard him climbing the ladder (to which he got a MOOOOOO!).

"Remind me to move this cow somewhere else."

Sheik left, deciding to leave the interrogation for another day. She didn't know what to think of Link running about to help the girl. She didn't know if any of this was good or bad.

Saria waited, reading her book. She sat faithfully by the girl's side. She leaned back against the wall of her house and closed her eyes just for a second…

"Saria, wake up." Link was there, gently waking her. "You can go rest, I'll watch her."

"What? Oh! I fell asleep! Oh, is she all right? How could I?"

"It's fine. She's fine, Saria."

"Oh, good. Are you sure you can watch her? I can do it."

"Yes, I'm fine with it."

"All right, I'll be back." She exited the house. Once outside, she turned herself into the orb of light which the Sages used to travel. One of the first things she learned she could do when she learned she was one. She returned to the Sacred Realm, the Chamber of the Sages.

"Meghan…" Link said. Truthfully, he had no idea what to do. He just sat by her side. He got bored. He was tempted to wake her, to ask her questions, but he knew she needed to sleep. He leaned closer to examine her face. He studied her—she was definitely different. She's from…Nearth? Wait, it was Earth! That must mean she's Earthian. Or something.

"Is that it?" he whispered to her, as though she could hear him. "Are you Earthian?"

Her features were different than any other life form in Hyrule. Her nose was shorter than his, or anybody else's for that matter. Her ears were like the Gerudos, but not quite so big. She was a bit taller than an average Hylian girl at, but still shorter than him.

Her long, dark brown hair seemed almost a black color, but it wasn't. It was sprawled around her head. She looked younger than him, but not by much. Her difference were so intriguing that it took him a while to realize that the way her long eyelashes framed her eyes, and how her lips curved out gently, and how her cheekbones accented her face made her…pretty.

Appalled by his own thoughts, he sat back, away from her, turning red in the cheeks. Why would he even think about that? What kind of person was he? She was a helpless young girl. In a huff, he blamed his weird thoughts on his recent...well, growth. A month ago (which was actually seven years ago), he would never have had such a thought. He found a book on Saria's table, next to the Kokiri Sword. He picked the sword up, just for old time's sake, and realized just how light it was, at least compared to the Master Sword. He replaced it in the sheath, and then took the book. It was entitled Hyrule at a Glance. He had heard of it, but he never had time to read. It was a history of Hyrule, but put into a plot, like an adventure. It was even quite old, and he was surprised that Saria had a copy. Many books, especially ones like this, had been destroyed with Ganon's reign. This copy was old and beaten on the outside, though the words were clear inside.

He got entangled in the interesting plot of the book, not even realizing how long he had been reading. Navi had fallen asleep on the pillow by Meghan's head. He was probably about halfway through the book, but it was already late morning. He wouldn't have much time to read it any other time. He put the book down. He looked over toward Meghan. She was lying on her side with her face to him.

"You like to sleep, don't you?" he whispered. A few seconds later, Saria returned.

"Hi!"

"Hi. I came to relieve you of Meghan-watching duty," Saria joked.

"What? Oh, I don't mind. I was reading your book."

Then Meghan moved. They went to her side as she blinked, opening her eyes.

"Uhhh…?" Meghan asked as she sat up. Saria walked over to her. She looked at the two strange people in the room. Embarrassed, she turned away and rubbed her face.

"You got very sick," Saria said softly.

"You don't remember?" Link asked.

"Yeah, I do now…" she moved to get up. "I should go now…" She stood up and stretched. "I feel fine now, really. Thank you guys, I'm sorry to steal your bed." She noticed how bright it was outside. "Oh, crap, I must have slept for a long time…sorry!"

"Not too long. Zelda's Lullaby healed you," Saria informed her, motioning for her to sit back down.

"Oh…what is that?" She stood, still.

Saria and Link looked at one another. "Maybe we should tell you about Hyrule," Link said. Meghan couldn't help but be curious, so she didn't try to leave just yet.

"Zelda is our princess, the crown princess of Hyrule, and she is a special girl, with a kind heart and wisdom beyond her years. But she is in hiding now. No one has seen her for years, because a very evil man has taken control of our country," Saria told her.

"You saw the state of the castle and Castle Town. He has destroyed that town…those people. He turned them into those monsters," Link said, though he did not know that the redeads were not actually Hylian citizens. Meghan could see the pain in his face. He didn't like any of this.

"Should we continue telling her?" Saria asked in Hylian, looking up at Link. He shrugged and told her that they might as well, and it might stop her from wandering around.

"He has a terrible power, and he was after something even more powerful when Link was younger. The power of the Goddesses, actually, something called the Triforce. He is very powerful. Our whole country has been affected by this. People have been killed, and there are monsters everywhere. Civilizations are destroyed. It's…" She shook her head. "It's terrible."

"Oh…" What was she supposed to say? She felt that "I'm sorry" wouldn't really do much. She said it anyway. "I'm sorry…I wish it wasn't so terrible."

"But Link here is on his way to saving it!" Saria nudged him.

"Saria!" he said, growing red. "It's…everyone's helping, really. I'm just...eh..."

"Relax, hero," she said to him with a smile. She turned back to Meghan. "It's his destiny. I always knew there was something special with him. The Great Deku Tree, too. We've been friends since we were kids."

"Oh," Meghan said, nodding. What, though, did she mean by saving it? Was he a super hero? Haha cool. She guessed that sword had something to do with it all.

"That's the story," Saria said with a sigh. "Now you know."

"I guess that means I should look for a way to get home soon." Didn't really sound so safe here...

"No," Link said gently from where he was conveniently standing in front of the door. "As I've said, it's dangerous outside the forest. And I think you should rest a bit longer, please."

"I…I'll be fine. I feel fine, honestly." She felt that seeing the monsters she'd seen here in Hyrule hadn't even been scary. It was more like she was watching them from in front of a movie screen. She didn't feel like they could hurt her because they didn't seem real.

"I'm afraid that no one else can help you more than we can. It's dangerous out there. Please, stay with us."

Meghan felt the tears welling in her eyes. "Listen, I have a plan. I'm going to stay in, uh, Kakariko. I'll find some money for the Inn. You can still help me if you really want to."

"I want you to stay here, Meghan, as my guest!" Saria squeaked.

"But…I…want…to…go…" she said through clenched teeth. She felt so embarrassed and awkward here. "I…don't want to take advantage of you."

"You have to stay with us, it's crazy out there," Link said, his over-caring showing. "Kakariko is fairly safe, but I don't trust every person."

"I'll be fine. My world is not exactly super safe either. I don't know why you think I come from fairy tale land. I can do some self defense." She laughed. "And part of me still believes this isn't real, so I'm not scared."

She remembered the dream she had in the Temple of Time, but refused to let herself believe that that was real either. There was no way she was staying here. Blah, her brain was just messed up.

"No, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Meghan," Link said. "I'm real. Saria's real. Even…Ganondorf is real, the evil that is here. It's all real, and you can really get hurt. Meghan, you're here for a reason. I can't let you get hurt." He said the last part slowly and quietly. As much as he wished that it was Meghan's way with Ganondorf, he knew it wasn't true.

"I'm sorry guys, but I'm not special. I have no abilities and I have no purpose for being here. I swear, this is my dream. There's no other explanation."

She tried to move past Link. He didn't let her. Saria bit her lip. Meghan's stomach flipped. What was their reason for keeping her so tightly here? Maybe they really weren't what they said they were...

o damn. tyme 2 get hysterical. "You…sick people! Let me go!" she said, as she tried to get out the door. She raised her hand to push him, but he grabbed her hand as a reflex. "Let go!" she cried, struggling against his strong grip, but she soon realized that she couldn't get free. He was strong. He was real.

"What do you want from me?" she cried, sinking to the floor. He kneeled down, his face gentle, in fierce opposition to the strong grip on her hand.

"I don't want anything. I don't want to hurt you." He was shaking his head, his expression soft.

"Then why won't you let me go? Let go!" she tried to pull free again. He let go, looking her in the eyes. How could he have such innocent eyes, while he was so adamant about keeping her here? She couldn't get herself to think he would do harm, but at the same time all his actions seemed so suspicious. She didn't know him.

"Link," Saria said gently, "you're frightening her. She has not seen what has happened to our world. It must be difficult to believe."

Saria touched her arm, and helped Meghan up as Link stayed crouched, but he looked upset now.

"I'm sorry—" he started.

"I hate you," she spat quickly, her heart beating hard as she said the malicious words.

"Link, leave. You're not helping," Saria said in a surprisingly stern voice. Link stood and nodded slowly, leaving without a word. Meghan's declaration stung his heart. He didn't like to hear those words. Hate. It was so ugly.

"Bye, Link," Saria said. Meghan was quiet.

"Meghan, you must know he would never hurt anyone. We are worried about why you are here. He only wants to add you to his rather immense list of people to protect. Besides, you were just sick, and running out into the cold won't help you at all."

"I'm sorry," Meghan said, staring off to the side. For the first time, the possibility that this was real made sense to her. Tears dripped slowly down her face.

Saria's face was still gentle. "Link brought you clothes."

"Oh, god," she whispered, putting her head into her hands. "I…he thinks I hate him now. I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to be so horrible…I don't hate him…" Haha yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said "I hate you." "I hope he knows I don't hate him. I'm so sorry. And he even got me this…" She hated to make the wrong impression. Those weren't things she usually said. She squeezed her eyes in embarrassment.

"Don't worry. It's Link. He's…the nicest, biggest sweetie that ever lived. Who would have thought him to be the wielder of the Master Sword? He'd do anything. For anyone." She stood and handed the bundle Link had gotten to Meghan. "Open it."

Meghan carefully complied. Inside she found a black, sort of stretchy material long sleeved shirt. It looked like it would fit. Then she found another with a slightly different design, though almost the same. She found a pair of black pants, made of some weird material she had never felt before. Then a pair of white gloves. Then a white shirt and another pair of black pants. The material was almost jean-like, but more stretchy, sort of, and softer feeling. They all looked about the right size. He must have looked at her more than she noticed.

The last thing in the package was the thing she liked the most. It was a long, black cloak, made for the cold. It looked so warm. She wanted to put it on just then. It reminded her of something a princess would wear. It had a hood, and stitched on the front was that golden triangle symbol she'd seen around here a few times. It buttoned up in the front with black, shiny buttons. The bottom was trimmed with gold thread. It was beautiful. It wasn't the sort of thing that anybody wore where she came from, but it had a sort of elegance that couldn't be had where she came from.

"Meghan, he's so sweet! He must have spent quite a bit on that! He really cares for your well being. And all those other clothes…where does he get all this money?"

I'm such an idiot! He spends all this money on me, and I treat him like a criminal! Why am I so stupid? "Is it really that expensive? I should return it and get a cheaper one…" It was made of a light material, yet she could tell that it was very warm.

"Goddesses, no, don't! They know he has nothing else to spend his money on…" She touched the Triforce on the front left breast of the coat. "This is the Triforce. It is here to give courage, power, and wisdom in this dark time. We are all united…but even our united strength is, alone, not enough." She looked up at Meghan. "This is why we need Link. Link is everything we have, even if most people are unaware."

"Oh…" Meghan returned to looking at the cloak, still not quite understanding why Link was so important. Superhero was the best she could come up with. Or maybe he was like a prince or something. She didn't know. She should have treated him better. He didn't need any more darkness in his life. This was stupid. She was stupid.

"Meghan?" Saria drove her out of her thoughts. "I'm going to leave. You get dressed; I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"OK."

Saria tilted her head to the side, deciphering Meghan's "OK," then realizing it was an affirmation, she closed the curtains to the windows. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Meghan began to reconsider even changing. She studied the clothes. She picked out a pair of pants, and the first black shirt she had looked at. Was she really going to change, and then let Link see her? That would be so embarrassing! No, she couldn't. But then, she would be letting them down. She couldn't do that either. She hesitated, but went on.

First, she put the pants on. They fit perfectly, showing her shape. She studied herself in the mirror. She didn't like tight pants. She thought they made girls look silly, trying to fit their legs into pants that showed off every curve and flaw. She usually wore comfortable, if not baggy jeans. But these weren't like that. They fit just right, not too tight, and not baggy. They made sense. Maybe this was what she should wear…

Then she put the shirt on. The soft, silky material looked like it would automatically fit any form. It looked as though it was made to be worn with a skirt, but she didn't care. She realized a ribbon held the back of the shirt together. It went three-quarters of the way down the shirt, lacing up her back. It needed to be tied at the top. She slipped the shirt on. The end of the sleeve was flared out the tiniest bit. The front of the shirt had a design in black flowing down the front. She examined herself in the mirror again. The front of the shirt came down about two inches from her collarbone, and had a sort of square cut-off. It was a comfortable length, and she felt like it didn't over accentuate her chubby mid section.

Maybe Link had good taste in clothes. A good thing on her list. For some reason, in her mind, she was blaming this whole catastrophe on him. But she knew that was totally wrong…she couldn't just make it someone's fault, and especially not his.

She lifted the curtains to one of window to see if Saria was around. She saw her walking toward the house.

"You look very nice," Saria complimented.

"Thank you…very much."

Sorry, I took out the attack of the midgets. XD :D